


Losing My Breath

by Angelicat2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Don't get stabbed in the lung, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Major Character Injury, POV Shiro (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), The Galra hand heals...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 04:59:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: While on a stealth mission, Keith is gravely injured. It's up to Shiro to get him back to the castle's healing pods. Problem is, Keith's injury is making him having trouble breathing.





	Losing My Breath

Shiro frowned as he slashed his glowing hand through a sentry. It sparked out as he tossed it at the two behind it before twisting and burning through another three in a single motion. More surrounded him as he fought to get away. 

He could hear Keith behind him as his sword slammed into the bots, and his grunts were heard. Their backs were tight to each other, no room for anything much less a robot between them. Shiro took out four more before he got a dumb and risky idea.

"Keith," he sent the man a look and plum eyes glanced back at him knowingly as they got into position. Shiro grabbed Keith up and twirled quickly as the Red Paladin held the blade with both hands. Sparks flew into the air as sentries were cleaved in half, torn at their hips. They did it for ten seconds, both breathless when they finished. Letting Keith get his feet underneath him, Shiro let him go as the last mechanical minion clattered lifelessly to the floor. Giving the other a shaky yet relieved grin, he tapped his ebony helmet.

"We took out all the sentries in this section," he sighed softly as he turned to look at a panel nearby, "What do you need me to do, Pidge?"

"Just implant the device I gave you earlier," she spoke up as a few shots were heard in the background on her side, "It'll attach itself after placed. Make sure the light turns blue before you and Keith leave."

"Will do," Keith spoke up as Shiro shot him a raised brow before pulling out the white device and getting started. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, he watched Keith guard the door. Holding the device, he stared as the metal extended into the purple metal of the panel, blending in as if using Pidge's lion's cloaking. A few seconds went by before it clicked, light turning sapphire. Shiro just got the lid back on when he heard a crunching noise. Feeling dread pool in his stomach, he turned.

"KEITH!" Shiro screamed as said boy smashed onto the cold floor, nearly limp with his arm twisted behind him unnaturally. As Keith skidded to a stop, Shiro noted that his armor was torn, hole over the left side where red met white. Keith groaned as he laid there, vulnerable in the worst way. A Galra commander stood over him, nose dripping blood. She was pretty scrapped up, cheeks bruised and a small limp in her stride. But it wasn't stopping her from going after Keith who was breathing weirdly.

"Don't touch him!" Shiro growled as launched himself across the room, as if on auto-drive. He thrust his fist through the alien's throat just as she raised her weapon to stab at the wounded man. Her blood splattered along Shiro's visor as his arm twisted through purple flesh and she dropped like a stone, sword slick with scarlet blood. Keith's blood.

Shiro threw himself down by his best friend. In a crouch, he held the boy's head carefully in his hands. Keith's eyes slid open, clouded with unimaginable agony as his breaths came out wet and ugly. His skin was three shades too light and still losing color as an iron smell littered the air. A puddle of blood spread from beneath Keith as his arm moved nervelessly, pulled to the ground by gravity when Shiro turned him onto his back. Keith let out a low whine of pain as said appendage moved. Blood leaked from the cracked breastplate in small rivets that trailed down the black kevlar-like suit onto the dirty floor.

"Hey, buddy," Shiro smiled softly as he caressed his cheeks carefully, "What happened?"

"G-Galra..." He panted as he drew in a shaky and incomplete breath, "Tr-tried...fought her...got f-flung...Can't br-breathe."

A bead of red rolled off the corner of Keith's lip. Shiro panicked inwardly as Keith's raven-haired head, his helmet had been discarded across the room somehow, flopped onto his shoulder weakly. Each breath from the boy sounded more difficult to take in as Shiro quickly gathered the other into his arms. Taking off, he didn't have to look to know that Keith was watching him with hazy eyes, probably not seeing much of what was really going on. As Shiro raced to the Green Lion, he called the others and told them to meet back at the lion quickly. Rushing up the ramp, the three's protests went dead when they saw their injured teammate in their leader's arms, eyes staring blankly as broken breaths cluttered the air. Pidge hurried to her seat, already engaging her cloaking device and flying away. Hunk quickly got a packet of first-aid supplies as Lance got a spot ready to put the hurt friend. Shiro laid the younger man onto his back, broken arm resting on his chest. Keith stirred, violet-tinted eyes sliding to Shiro's worried face.

"Sh-Shiro?" It came out airy, as if he didn't have the energy or breath to form the words, possibly both, "H-Hurts."

"I know it does, buddy," Shiro frowned as he watched another scarlet dot streak itself from pale lips, "Hold on for me, Keith. You're going to make it."

Keith nodded as much as he could before resting his head against Shiro's shoulder, eyes slowly moving from him to the Blue Paladin who smiled tightly.

"Hey, man," Lance stated as he held a patch of bandages to the wounds on Keith's chest, "Just stay with us, okay?"

Keith blinked a few times before he nodded again, breath sounding more wet by the second. Moments went by as the lion raced back to the castle, a worried rumble coming over the helmets. Keith was too pale, bandages soaked through as he struggled to breathe. His eyes were on Shiro, but the older man doubted he saw him as he slowly watched the life drain from violet orbs. He let out a curse that startled the other three. Over the comms. system, he heard the Red Lion roaring, trying to break free of its hangar. Shiro felt the dread pool in his stomach. Last time this had happened, Keith had nearly been beaten to death in a trial of "knowledge or death."

"Keith," Shiro narrowed his eyes as he noted the scarlet liquid that started to collect on the floor; some blood cascaded from pale lips as pinkish foam gathered, "PIDGE!"

"ALMOST THERE!" She explained as the Green Lion dipped and pushed faster.

"He's not going to make it!" Lance shouted as he put more bandages on Keith's back, "We need to get there now!"

Shiro had to agree with the Blue Paladin. He couldn't lose Keith. Not like this. Not out in space, barely months back at his side. Not to some nameless Galra who was going to continue hurting him.

Keith had faced Zarkon. He trained against the training bot more often than Shiro thought was good. He was the strongest person Shiro knew. If Keith couldn't survive, how could they?

In that amount of time, Shiro blinked as he stared downward at something he'd usually dread. His metal arm. This time, he got a desperate idea.

"Keith," Shiro begged with a scared voice, hoping the young man could still move, "Keith. Come on, buddy. Look at me."

It took a few seconds, which felt like minutes to him, but Keith's dark eyes opened slightly, looking right at him. Shiro felt his heart quiver at the drained look on his old friend's face.

"S-Sh-Sh'ro?" His voice was nearly nothing, a small twinge of what it normally was as more foam curled down Keith's chin, "You ok'y?"

Shiro laughed bitterly. Of course, Keith would be on the brink of death and still worry about him.

"I'm fine," he sighed at he carefully pulled Keith into his lap, back resting on Shiro's leg and arm, head resting on the padded shoulder, "But you're not."

"S'kay," Keith muttered with unfocused eyes, "Long...yo're ok'y. Can't...let 'em urt you 'gain."

Shiro's heart swelled. Keith was just like that. Amazing. Headstrong. Selfless. Courageous. Beautiful. Home.

"Remember what you told me about a few weeks ago?" Shiro asked as he held his Galra hand on the younger's face, Keith's eyes slowly crept over to the appendage and back, "I need to know that this is okay. It'll probably hurt. You ready?"

Keith blinked sluggishly, made a little noise like he was trying to say something, and then nodded. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, his arm lit up bright purple, highlighting Keith's cheeks and strands of hair. Hearing the shouts of concern and shock, he looked straight into his best friend's eyes, seeing a fire that hadn't been there moments prior. Thrusting his hand into the wound, he held Keith in place with his left as his fingers found the tear in his lung. Envisioning flesh stitching itself shut and life being sustained, he felt his arm heat up. As Keith gave a tiny cry of pain, Shiro saw the wound glow brighter, a supernova explosion in the darkness of space. Without knowing how, he pulled back before pressing his digits to the front of Keith's suit. Millimeter by agonizing millimeter of skin healed itself.

Making sure that there was no new blood dripping from any area on Keith, Shiro held him close as the other three watched on in a stunned silence. The only noise was the lion as it flew itself to the castle. Even after it landed, they stayed where they were. Keith blinked up at Shiro tiredly, but the older knew it was nothing bad this time. Just fatigue after the battle. Letting out a deep breath, Shiro scooped Keith up while making sure his arm was okay. 

"I can walk," Keith struggled for a second before resting his head against Shiro's shoulder. Shiro chuckled softly as he glanced at him to the blood pooled on the floor and back, "I know you can. I just don't want you hurting yourself more."

Keith nodded after a moment as he swallowed. Soon, he settled down and fell asleep as they moved to the med bay. Usually, Shiro would be worried about that, but Keith deserved the sleep and they were going to put him in the pod anyway. He sent Keith a relieved smile as they moved into the room. Keith would be fine.


End file.
